Authority is the key to career success and respect from superiors and colleagues. Earning authority is not easy, especially if you are new to an established team. If you don't take care of how you are perceived at work, you risk facing a lot of obstacles on the way to your desired position.
There are many boilerplate tips on how to earn the respect of your boss and colleagues: friendliness, politeness, smiling, willingness to come to the rescue at the first call. But these qualities are unlikely to help you get what you want. By erasing your individuality, putting other people before yourself, it is foolish to expect that someone will appreciate it. Most likely, you'll overdo it and put yourself in a losing position.
We've put together some really workable ways to quickly gain credibility in a team. You don't have to pretend to be someone else or ingratiate yourself to your colleagues and superiors to do this.
Find out who's who.
The first thing to do at your new job is to determine who's who. Don't rush to start getting closer to your colleagues, try for at least a few days to study their behavior, take a closer look at their personal qualities, discern who and against whom they are friends. You can get a lot of useful information from ordinary observation.
For example, you can understand whether there are gossipers, slackers, workaholics-perfectionists in the team, with whom it is better not to mess with. Knowing what each of your colleagues is like gives you a significant advantage. After all, you can find an individual approach to each of them, and if necessary, you can count on their support.
2. Make useful contacts.
If there are several departments in your company, get to know their colleagues. Accounting, sales, secretaries, numerous managers - all these positions can be occupied by interesting and friendly employees, getting to know them won't be out of place. You can learn a lot of useful information, better understand the motivation of your colleagues, be always aware of the latest company news, etc.
Don't look for authority - become it yourself
3. Gain the respect of your bosses
Of course, the most important thing you have to do in your new job is to gain the respect of your superiors. It's not that hard if you're really willing to do your job well and are interested in the position you're in. But there are also a few other tips on how to present yourself to your boss as not just a professional at your job, but also as an indispensable employee.
Show initiative. Yes, it's important for your boss to see that you're not just doing what you're supposed to do, but that you're looking to increase profits, systematize the process, discover new talents, etc. Proactively propose new ideas, share your opinion, express your desire to undergo additional training provided by the company - this way you will quickly earn the respect and trust of your boss.
Keep your distance. No matter how well your boss treats you, always remember that he is your boss. Don't try to enter the category of his friends, don't discuss personal topics with him, don't allow yourself familiarity: there should not be any swagger and pannibalism in communication with the boss.
Take responsibility. If your new job puts you in charge, you need to understand that you are responsible not only for yourself but also for your team. Don't try to blame someone else: your subordinate's mistake is first and foremost your fault, and you should be able to admit it to your superiors. You show yourself as an incompetent employee by shifting responsibility to other people.
4. Don't show your insecurity.
Even if you think you haven't earned a place in the company, are worried about your lack of knowledge and experience, or are afraid of making a mistake, you shouldn't show it to your new colleagues. If you fail, try to save face, take responsibility for your actions and try to make up for what you've done. But never use derogatory remarks and don't make jokes about yourself unless you want that behavior to be quickly adopted by your team.
How you present yourself has a lot to do with the attitude of your colleagues. If they see the newcomer as a confident professional, even if he or she is not, they will treat him or her with respect. If the new person in the team will doubt his abilities and show it to others, he may not be taken seriously or in the worst case even be morally crushed.
5. Don't try to please everyone.
When you come to a new team, you think that the best strategy is to be open, friendly and caring about your new colleagues and their problems. But this attitude can make you quickly face certain difficulties: instead of being treated well, you get constant requests, attempts to manipulate you, anxiety, and a bunch of other problems that you certainly didn't count on.
Don't try to please everyone: always be yourself, put yourself first, learn to say no if you don't have the desire, time or energy to help someone. Don't let those around you take advantage of you: they quickly get used to it, and it becomes more and more difficult to change the situation.
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